5 Reasons Your Home Decor Does Not Look Cohesive

Happy New Year everyone! With a New Year comes new beginnings, so let’s talk about how to improve your home decor.

Have you ever wondered why the spaces in your home don’t flow? Or why stepping from your kitchen into your living room gives you a jarring sensation? I’m here to share 5 reasons why your home decor does not look cohesive…

You Do Not Have a Whole House Color Palette

A whole home color palette is essential to creating a cohesive look. Without this defined color palette, your rooms will not flow and your entire home will feel disjointed. Of course, this is most important when your house has an open floor plan but even behind closed doors, a sudden change in color can also be quite jarring.

In our first home, the very first thing I did was paint every room a different color. Needless to say, this resulted in a disjointed look.

Choose a neutral (a shade of white or cream, gray, greige or even a pale version of a more saturated color) and 3 – 5 accent colors that you love and that you will use consistently. Don’t worry about trends. It’s important that these are colors that you really love since you will be committing to them throughout your home.

Now – this does not mean that you have to paint every wall the same color. But it’s a good idea to keep it similar. If navy blue is your dominant accent color, it may be a couch in one room, an accent wall in another and a rug in yet another. The same color is reflected throughout your home in different ways, creating a sense of flow and cohesion.

You Haven’t Figured Out Your Personal Decorating Style

When it comes to decorating, many people don’t have a good sense of their personal style. As a result, their homes look like a copycat of someone else’s or have no sense of cohesiveness. Just like your clothes reflect you, so should your rooms.

The best part about figuring out your signature style is that it helps narrow your focus and certainly makes shopping for decor a heck of a lot easier – you will never again question if that purchase will match your existing decor!

You do not need to label your style. In fact, I’m firmly against labeling my style as one particular style. I think the most personal home decor is usually a mixture of many different style elements. BUT I am aware that my own preference is a mixture of transitional and farmhouse which makes it easier to pinpoint what will work or will not work in my home.

You’re a Slave to Trends

We live in a time of inspiration overload thanks to Pinterest and shows like Fixer Upper. With so many beautiful and inspirational spaces out there, it’s easy to fall into the trap of being a slave to trends. Think long and hard before incorporating that latest trend into your home. It may be completely out of fashion within the year but you may be stuck with it for the next ten.

Knowing and understanding your own home decor style as well as having an established color palette will help keep you focused on what will work in your home.

You Have Not Decorated with Intention

Before you start to dream of paint swatches or the perfect pop of color for that room – figure out how you need that space to work. Will your living room be an adult only space for relaxing? Or will it also need to serve as a playroom/work area/homework area? Will your dining room be used every day or just for formal occasions? This will not only help you decide what types of furniture you need but how to best arrange said furniture to make the most efficient use of the space. A formal dining room or living room that the kids will rarely be in can afford to have cream upholstery but an eat-in kitchen may need surfaces and materials that can be quickly and easily wiped down.

Without defined spaces that function as they need to your home will never be cohesive and flow or function the way it should. Deal with the clutter, reassess your space and make the most efficient use of the room – this may mean moving furniture around or separating rooms into different zones.

Do you feel better equipped to make your home decor feel cohesive? If you have any questions, please email me or drop me a comment below.

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Comments

After being thoroughly frustrated with my décor & my inability to finish anything …I looked at your décor style & though it is what I a looking to achieve, with my own personality infused. I am the type of person that buys things that mean something to me or catches my eye. I love old stuff. I too am a cheapskate & only buy bargains. A lot of the stuff we have are hand me downs or family pieces. The problem is, I buy the bargain or thing that catches my eye, but I never finish as I wait for something else to come along to “go with it” if you know what I mean. I get indecisive & never finish anything. I like kitschy but not fussy.

My family room is on lower level, it is open to my living space on first floor which includes kitchen, dining and living room. I have considered painting my fireplace which is sort of a whole house focal point but my husband is totally against that & for some odd reason it has grown on me. The walls are painted a very light neutral grey. My living room-kitchen-dining is painted a yellowish tan & I think my top priority will be changing that! That yellowish tone is throwing everything off. I change out my tablecloth occasionally –usually by season & use different colors. Same with throw pillows.

I started doing my bedroom & master bath in blue & white. It was blue/rust color.
I guess I do like earthy colors mixed with some blue-but bright colors. I don’t like the earthy color palette of yellows, tans, olive greens.
First, I need help with wall paint colors, then picking my accent colors, then see if I need to change out any drapes, and then make everything blend. I am open to any & all suggestions.

Hello! I feel like a weight has been lifted now that I don’t have to put a label on my design style! THANK YOU! (tired of taking all those quizes) I have an open floor plan with high ceilings to compensate for the smaller room size. Your advice on using one color throughout?

Hi Toy! A lot depends on your personal style and the light situation. If you like a clean neutral palette and want to keep it looking light and bright, you can’t go wrong with a light gray (BM Stonington Gray, SW Repose Gray, BM Gray Owl, BM Moonshine). An off-white or cream shade (Kelly Moore’s Swiss Coffee is beautiful) would also be great. These colors work as great backdrops to any style and don’t need to be changed as furniture and colorful accents change.

We recently moved from Savannah, Ga to a very small town in Arizona. My decorating style has always included primatives, especially in the kitchen/ dining areas. The new home in Az has a more open floor plan. I decided to keep the walls a light cream but have painted the bottom of the bar which is in the living room a dark (primative) green. I also painted the outside wall in the kitchen the same green. I did this because when you look at the bar area you can also see the other green wall in the kitchen. My problem is in choosing a color scheme for a chair in the living room. I don’t want to stay with the wheat colors in the loveseats. Any suggestions?

cohesiveness – yeah – that’s what I need to learn. I’m starting from scratch – we’re building a living space inside our commercial building. DR/LR area is open concept with 12 ft ceilings. I have South/East windows that allow ALLOT of natural light. (actually amazing!) 2 Bedrooms, in opposite corners (so their interiors are visible from living area). I want to do greige in the open area (SW Seasalt in the master and a soft grey/blue in other BR). My dilema/question … in the LR we’re doing a feature wall using the same color paint, but we’re just not sure whether to go a shade lighter or darker. Thoughts? Suggestions?? (modern/rustic decor – some antique furniture – wood flooring – accent colors: blue, green, aqua, turquoise)
thanks, Kathy in PA

Sounds like you’re well on your way in terms of paint colors, Kathy! That sounds like an awesome combo. I personally like a darker accent wall because it adds a bit of drama and a stronger focal point, and naturally because it’s darker has a bit more contrast than just going a shade lighter – but it’s really up to you! There’s no right or wrong, it’s really what you like best!

Hi Jenna! I love your article…..well said. I understand what you’re saying and I think I accomplish cohesiveness with colors in my home. (I have light beige walls and stick to blues, yellows and green touches (mostly with plants). My problem is that I have way too many different styles! I have many oriental/Asian accents (and a couple of small black lacquer cabinets) in my formal living room. My kitchen has touches of French country with a collection of black tole painted trays and blue Roseville pottery and my family room goes into rustic items with iron accents! OMG it’s a mess but I love all these styles and things that go with them…..I love everything from worn barn siding tables to jade Buddhas. Many of the oriental things were given to me as my husband’s family is from Hawaii. I DO KNOW that I’m very attracted to a neutral color pallet with lots of different textures and I want to go in that direction as my wallet permits. Where do you suggest I start? Do I get rid of the formal oriental decor? How do I combine my beautiful blue and white temple jars with baskets and chippy flower pots? Please help!!! I’ll appreciate any words of wisdom!

Hi Mary! Thanks for your comment! I know only too well how difficult it can be to include ALL the things you love – but it can totally be done! Again, I think if you tie them in with your color palette it really helps. My home is quite traditional but I love including rustic, farmhouse elements. As long as you make a conscious decision to include them throughout your home, it will look intentional. If you only have one room then it might look out of place. Blue and white temple jars will look just beautiful alongside the rustic stuff…you might have a harder time getting some of the black pieces to work, but again I think if you are intentional about it (and don’t over do it) it can be done. Take a look at my living room: It’s traditional, yet casual with rustic touches. I intentionally stick to the same colors which really helps everything flow well. I hope that helps! I also have a post on color schemes that may be helpful as well as my free decorating email course.

Thank you Jenna!! You give me hope! I just came upon your blog tonight so I will definitely explore all the articles, and decorating ideas you have. Thanks again. I will look at my house with new eyes and mix it up a little!

I agree 100% with everything you said. My biggest question though is HOW to select colors to help the flow from room to room (specifically to paint color). My home has a lot of espresso colored accents and undertones throughout. I feel I am consistent with that piece. I also feel that my current wall colors compliment one another, but I want to “update” my home with wall colors and am truly struggling with selecting a color pallet to use. I do not have an open concept home, but we do have very large openings from one room to another.
Any suggestions on where to start?

Hi Joanne! My forthcoming ebook will cover this topic in detail (sign up for my free decorating course for now). But keeping it simple, pick your favorite color. Let’s say it’s blue. Decide whether you want to work with a monochromatic palette (different shades of blue) or work with a few neutral colors (warm or cool). The idea is to repeat colors throughout your home so that it flows. So maybe you paint all your walls a light shade of gray and use all different blues as your color that repeats throughout. You really can’t go wrong with neutral wall colors because they are classic – think light grays, beiges, creams etc. Then you can have more fun decorating with throw pillows, accessories, rugs that have more color in them.

If you are stuck on picking color palettes, Pinterest is a great source of inspiration. Simple search for “whole house color palettes” or something like “blue color palettes” and you’ll get tons of inspiration.

These are definitely fantastic tips. When we first decorated our home, I didn’t have a cohesive look at all. Over the years I’ve been correcting that and the house is slowly getting more consistent. Now I just need to figure out how to get the kids toys to fit into the whole decorating scheme!

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